Resources and Capabilities for Climate Resilience among Smallholder Cocoa Farmers: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61255/jeemba.v4i4.1476Keywords:
Resource-Based View, Smallholder Cocoa, Climate Resilience, Social Digital Learning, Strategic Adoption BehaviourAbstract
This study reviews the resources and capabilities associated with climate resilience among smallholder cocoa farmers in developing countries using the Resource-Based View (RBV). A PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of Scopus-indexed articles published between 2015 and 2025 identified 30 eligible studies. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes: social and digital learning, strategic adoption, livelihood stability, and climate resilience. Resilience depends on combinations of human, social, financial, informational, physical, and natural resources, as well as farmers’ ability to mobilise them within specific institutional and market conditions. Although social and digital learning may support technology adoption and adaptation, current evidence does not confirm a universal causal pathway linking learning, adoption, income stability, and resilience. Evidence on Digital Farmer Influencers remains limited and is therefore proposed as a future research construct. The study recommends construct validation, longitudinal and mixed-method research, and cross-country comparisons.
Abstract views: 6
,
PDF downloads: 0
Downloads
References
Agbenyo, W., Jiang, Y., Cobblah, P. K., Longfeng, W., & Frempong, N. K. N. (2022). Does the adoption of climate smart agriculture practice impact farmers' income? Evidence from Ghana. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 494. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010494
Akrofi-Atitianti, F., Speranza, C. I., Bockel, L., & Asare, R. (2018). Assessing climate smart agriculture and its determinants of practice in Ghana: A case of the cocoa production system. Land, 7(2), 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/land7020035
Ameyaw, L. K., Ettl, G. J., Leissle, K., & Anim-Kwapong, G. J. (2018). Cocoa and climate change: Insights from smallholder cocoa producers in Ghana regarding challenges in implementing climate change mitigation strategies. Forests, 9(12), 742. https://doi.org/10.3390/f9120742
Aniah, P., Kaunza-Nu-Dem, M. K., & Ayembilla, J. A. (2019). Smallholder farmers' livelihoods adaptation to climate variability and ecological changes in the savanna agro ecological zone of Ghana. Heliyon, 5(4), e01492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01492
Anning, A. K., Ofori Yeboah, E., Baffour Ata, A., & Owusu, V. (2022). Climate change manifestation and adaptation in cocoa farmers' perspective of smallholders farmers in the Adansi South District, Ghana. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 100177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100177
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Boateng, P. K., Dankyi, E., Amponsah, W. A., Awudzi, G. K., Amponsah, O., & Darko, G. (2023). Knowledge, perception, and practice among smallholder cocoa farmers in four Ghanaian cocoa growing regions. Toxicology Reports, 10, 226–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.01.013
Chetri, S., Sharma, D., & Ilavarasan, P. V. (2023). Weather information, farm-level climate adaptation and farmers' adaptive capacity. Environmental Science & Policy, 143, 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.02.010
Cohn, A. S., Newton, P., Gil, J. D. B., Kuhl, L., Samberg, L., Ricciardi, V., Manly, J. R., & Northrop, S. (2017). Smallholder agriculture and climate change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 42, 347–375. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102016-060946
Daum, T. (2025). Digitalization and skill in agriculture. Outlook on Agriculture, 54(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/00307270241298345
De Witt, A., Boer, J., Hedlund, N., & Osseweijer, P. (2016). An integrative framework for mapping worldviews related to climate change. Environmental Science & Policy, 63, 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.05.006
Effendy, Basir-Cyio, M., Mahfudz, M., & Muhardi, M. (2019). Factors influencing the efficiency of cocoa farms: A study to increase income in rural Indonesia. Plos One, 14(4), e0214569. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214569
Grigorieva, E., Livenets, A., & Stelmakh, E. (2023). Adaptation of agriculture to climate change: A scoping review. Climate, 11(3), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11030058
Hulke, C., & Revilla Diez, J. (2020). Building adaptive capacity to external risks through collective action: Evidence from smallholder farmers in Vietnam. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51, 101906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101906
Knößlsdorfer, I., Bär, R., Baumgartner, J., & Demmler, K. M. (2021). Effect of Fairtrade on farm household food security and living standards: Insights from Côte d'Ivoire. Global Food Security, 30, 100554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100554
Kuang, B., Qiu, L., Wang, Y., & Ya, Y. (2025). The role of digital economy in promoting sustainable agriculture. Sustainability, 17(3), 1123. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031123
Li, Y., Yang, X., & Lu, J. (2024). Does social learning promote farmers' cooperative pest control? Sustainability, 16(5), 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052021
Lu, S., Sun, Q., & Huang, J. (2024). The impact of digital literacy on farmers' pro-environmental behaviour. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1341785. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1341785
Maguire-Rajpul, B., Khatun, K., & Victoria, C. (2020). Agricultural information impact on adaptive capacity of smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 576551. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.576551
Malhi, Y., Franklin, J., Seddon, N., Solan, M., Turner, M. G., Field, C. B., & Knowlton, N. (2020). Climate change and ecosystems: Threats, opportunities and solutions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 375(1794), 20190104. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0104
Matous, P., & Bodin, Ö. (2024). Hub and spoke social networks among Indonesian cocoa farmers homogenise farming practice. People and Nature, 6(2), 785–797. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10609
Meredith, M. P., Sommerkorn, M., Cassotta, S., Derksen, C., Ekaykin, A., Hollowed, A., Kofinas, G., Mackintosh, A., Melbourne-Thomas, J., Muelbert, M. M. C., Ottersen, G., Pritchard, H., & Schuur, E. A. G. (2024). Farmer intention and actual adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Climate Change, 174(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-022-03453-5
Muluneh, A. (2021). Impact of climate change on biodiversity and food security: A global perspective A review article. Agriculture & Food Security, 10(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-021-00318-5
Narsia, A., & Ashktorab, N. (2021). Sustainable livelihood framework-based assessment of drought resilience patterns of rural households of Bakhtegan Basin, Iran. Ecological Indicators, 128, 107817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107817
Nasser, A., Maguire-Rajpul, B., Dumenu, W. K., & Wong, J. L. G. (2020). Climate smart cocoa in Ghana: How ecological modernisation discourse risks sidelining cocoa smallholders. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00006
Nyasimi, M., Kimeli, P., Sayula, G., Radeny, M., Kinyangi, J., & Mungai, C. (2017). Adoption and dissemination pathways for climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices for climate-resilient livelihoods in Lushoto, northeast Tanzania. Climate, 5(3), 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli5030063
Rauf, A., Effendy, Pratama, M. F., Cyio, M. B., Mahfudz, M., & Muhardi, M. (2019). The role of cocoa farming in the income of rural households in Indonesia: A case study in Sigi Regency. Sustainability, 11(18), 5032. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185032
Rizzo, G., Migliore, G., Schifani, G., & Vecchio, R. (2023). Key factors influencing farmers' adoption of sustainable innovation: A systematic review. Organic Agriculture, 13(3), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-023-00432-3
Rust, N. A., Stankovics, P., Jarvis, R. M., Goulson, D., Dicks, L. V., & Sutherland, W. J. (2022). Have farmers had enough of experts? Environmental Management, 69(5), 888–901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01604-z
Suh, J., & Molua, E. L. (2022). Cocoa production under climate variability and farm management challenges: Some farmers' perspective. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 10, 100426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2022.100426
Teklu, B. M., Simane, B., & Bezabih, M. (2023). Effect of climate smart agriculture innovation on climate resilience. Sustainability, 15(4), 3672. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043672
Zerssa, G., Feyssa, D., Kim, J. G., & Eichler-Löbermann, B. (2021). Challenges of smallholder farming in Ethiopia and opportunities by adopting climate smart agriculture. Agriculture, 11(3), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11030192
Zhang, Y., & Wang, J. (2024). Digital platforms and climate-smart agricultural practices: Evidence from smallholder farmers. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1389742. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1389742
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kadek Surya Prasetya Wiguna

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
















Email: fadhila.della@gmail.com, andika.isma@unm.ac.id